IN his directing debut, Denzel Washington applies the same authenticity he’s demonstrated as an actor to this true-life story of a troubled young man’s remarkable triumph over adversity.

“Antwone Fisher” is an Oscar-worthy, emotionally honest, feel-good saga with a universality that stands out in a season of singularly depressing and cynical Hollywood product.

Commandingly played from his teens into his mid-20s by newcomer Derek Luke, Antwone Fisher is nearly thrown out of the Navy because of a hair-trigger temper that lands him in frequent fights.

Fortunately, Antwone is sent for an evaluation to Jerome Davenport (Washington), an overworked but extremely dedicated and clever Naval psychiatrist.

Davenport gradually breaks down Antwone’s resistance to talking about himself – and delving into the horrific background behind his rage.

Antwone’s father was shot to death by an ex-girlfriend before Antwone was born.

Abandoned by his mother after he was born in jail, Antwone was entrusted to the Bible-thumping Mrs. Tate (Novella Nelson) – a foster mother who, we eventually learn, beat Antwone and turned a blind eye to even worse forms of abuse.

Davenport becomes the father that Antwone never had, gently encouraging his first tentative romantic relationship – to Cheryl, a Navy woman played with great charm and warmth by newcomer Joy Bryant.

But at the same time, he firmly suggests that the reluctant Antwone needs to return home to Cleveland and confront his demons.

Washington gets a terrific performance out of Luke, whose Antwone is variously angry, defiant, charming, sweetly in love – and shaken to the core when he finally meets up with his mother (Viola Davis).

Washington’s cast is uniformly excellent, especially Vernee Watson Johnson as a long-lost aunt who embraces Antwone – in a deeply moving sequence prefigured in the film’s poetic opening – as well as Malcolm David Kelley and Cory Hodges, who play Antwone at younger ages.

The compelling screenplay was written by the real-life Antwone Fisher. After the happy ending depicted here, he served out an 11-year hitch in the Navy before going to work as a security guard on the Sony lot, where he was encouraged to turn his amazing story into a movie.

The only thing that smacks of Hollywood formula in the final product is a subplot about Davenport’s reluctance to confront problems in his marriage to Berta (Salli Richardson), who sees her husband’s immersion in his work as an attempt to avoid the couple’s issues.

The whole patient-shrink setup is more than a little reminiscent of another star’s directing debut – Robert Redford’s 1980 Oscar-winner “Ordinary People,” which Washington has admitted was an influence on his straightforward but assured directing style.

A crucial difference is that almost all the characters in “Antwone Fisher” are black – it’s a rare mainstream film that brings up the touchy subject of black-on-black racism.

But Antwone’s hard-won victory is guaranteed to resonate with Americans of all colors and creeds, including those nominating the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars.